Adhesive tape cutting device

ABSTRACT

An adhesive tape cutting device includes a sleeve body having a top wall that has a tape slot defined by a slot-defining wall having a rear edge, front and rear end portions, and a protruded portion disposed between the rear edge and the front end portion. The tape slot separates the rear end portion and the protruded portion. The protruded portion extends outwardly and radially, through a tangent line passing through the rear edge, from one side of the tangent line to the other side of the tangent line. The protruded portion has a planar abutting surface, inclined away from the adhesive tape roll in a forward direction, and having opposite front and rear ends. The rear end is disposed on one side of a first reference line connecting the rear edge and the front end. The front end is disposed on one side of a second reference line connecting the rear edge and a tip of said cutting member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/960,536, entitled “ADHESIVE TAPE CUTTING DEVICE”, filed on Dec. 19, 2007, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an adhesive tape cutting device, more particularly to an adhesive tape cutting device that is adapted to be mounted to an adhesive tape roll and that facilitates cutting of an adhesive tape of the adhesive tape roll.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a conventional adhesive tape cutting device 3 is shown to be mounted movably on an adhesive tape roll 4 for cutting an adhesive tape 41 thereof. The adhesive tape cutting device 3 includes a sleeve body 31 and a cutting member 32. The sleeve body 31 is adapted to be sleeved removably and movably on the adhesive tape roll 4, and has a pair of side walls 311 confining a groove therebetween to retain a segment of the adhesive tape roll 4 therein, a pair of bottom end walls 312 each extending transversely and inwardly from a bottom edge of a respective one of the side walls 311, and a top wall connected to top edges of the side walls 311, having a rear end portion 314 and a protruded portion 313, and defining a tape slot 315 for extension of an unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 therethrough. The protruded portion 313 has a triangular planar abutting surface 316 and a tip end 3131. The tape slot 315 is defined by a slot-defining wall having a rear edge 317. A tangent line 40 passing through the rear edge 317 of the slot-defining wall is defined, and is tangential relative to a center of the adhesive tape roll 4. The protruded portion 313 of the top wall is disposed entirely at one side of the tangent line 40 that is adjacent to the adhesive tape roll 4, and does not form any intersection with the tangent line 40.

In use, the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is extended through the tape slot 315, is attached to the triangular planar abutting surface 316, passes over the tip end 3131, and is further extended beyond an edge of the cutting member 32 for cutting a predetermined length of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41. To cut the adhesive tape 41, a user first grabs a segment of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 between the tip end 3131 and the edge of the cutting member 32, and pulls this segment upwardly as shown by arrow (A) in FIG. 3( a) so as to remove the segment from contact with the tip end 3131, such that the segment of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is now disposed on the other side of the tangent line 40 distal from the adhesive tape roll 4. Then, the segment of the adhesive tape 41 is pulled forwardly as shown by arrow (B) in FIG. 3( a) so as to pull out a desired length of the adhesive tape 41 from the tape slot 315. At this time, the conventional adhesive tape cutting device 3 is brought to move rearward. Subsequently, the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is brought downwardly such that a portion of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is attached to the triangular planar abutting surface 316, as shown in FIG. 3( b). Next, the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is brought further downwardly such that another portion of the unrolled end contacts the cutting member 32 as shown in FIG. 3( c), and then with a further downward pull, the segment 411 of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 extending beyond the cutting member 32 is removed from the rest of the adhesive tape 41, as shown in FIG. 3( d).

However, since the planar abutting surface 316 is triangular with a width that gradually decreases towards the tip end 3131, the segment of the adhesive tape 41 that is attached to the triangular planar abutting surface 316 will have two sides that are hanging and unsupported. In addition, since the protruded portion 313, and thus the planar abutting surface 316, is disposed entirely at the side of the tangent line 40 that is adjacent to the adhesive tape roll 4, and does not form any intersection with the tangent line 40, no bending effect is provided to the adhesive tape 41 between the rear edge 317 and the tip end 3131. As such, when the segment 411 of the adhesive tape 41 extending beyond the cutting member 32 is to be removed with a pulling force in direction (T) as shown in FIG. 3( c), the adhesive tape 41 has to bear the pulling force on its own. Moreover, since the conventional adhesive tape cutting device 3 is not fixed on the adhesive tape roll 4, but is mounted movably thereon, the tip end 3131 of the protruded portion 313 cannot provide a point of counteraction or serve to provide tension with the cutting member 32 when the segment 411 of the adhesive tape 41 extending beyond the cutting member 32 is to be cut. In addition, since the tension in the segment of the adhesive tape 41 extending from the tip end 3131 beyond the cutting member 32 is uneven in a horizontal direction (orthogonal to direction (T)), it is easy for the sides of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 to fold toward each other, thereby adversely affecting smooth cutting during a cutting operation, and resulting in an uneven edge of the cut piece of the adhesive tape 41. Moreover, the stability of the conventional adhesive tape cutting device 3 during cutting operations is poor. Furthermore, for the same reasons as discussed above, after cutting, as shown in FIG. 3( d), the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 is unable to maintain the tensioned and smooth state, resulting in adverse affects on the smoothness of the next cutting operation as well as the overall appearance (e.g., transparency) and adhesiveness of the adhesive tape 41. Also, the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 91 may not remain attached to the cutting member 32 after cutting.

In addition, extension of the unrolled end of the adhesive tape 41 into and through the tape slot 315 is relatively inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tape cutting device that is stable during a cutting operation of an adhesive tape, and that facilitates smooth cutting of the adhesive tape.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive tape cutting device that is convenient for assembly.

Accordingly, an adhesive tape cutting device of this invention comprises a sleeve body and a cutting member.

The sleeve body is adapted to be sleeved on an adhesive tape roll and defines a channel for extension of the adhesive tape roll therethrough. The sleeve body has a top wall that has a tape slot in spatial communication with the channel for extension of an unrolled end portion of an adhesive tape of the adhesive tape roll therethrough. The tape slot is defined by a slot-defining wall having a rear edge. The top wall has front and rear end portions and a protruded portion disposed between the rear edge of the slot-defining wall and the front end portion of the top wall. The protruded portion protrudes outwardly with respect to the channel. The rear end portion and the protruded portion are separated by the tape slot. The protruded portion extends outwardly and radially through a tangent line, which is tangential relative to a center of the adhesive tape roll and which passes through the rear edge of the slot-defining wall, from one side of the tangent line to the other side of the tangent line that is distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to the one side of the tangent line. The protruded portion has a planar abutting surface that is disposed on the other side of the tangent line, that is inclined away from the adhesive tape roll in a forward direction, and that has opposite front and rear ends. The planar abutting surface has a substantially uniform width. The rear end of the planar abutting surface is disposed on one side of a first reference line connecting the rear edge of the slot-defining wall and the front end of the planar abutting surface. Said one side of the first reference line is distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to another side of the first reference line. The front end of the planar abutting surface is disposed on one side of a second reference line connecting the rear edge of said slot-defining wall and a tip of the cutting member. Said one side of the second reference line is distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to another side of the second reference line.

The cutting member is mounted on the front end portion of the top wall of the sleeve body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional adhesive tape cutting device for an adhesive tape roll;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional view of the conventional adhesive tape cutting device;

FIG. 3 has four parts, (a)˜(d), similar to FIG. 2 for cooperatively illustrating a cutting operation of the conventional adhesive tape cutting device;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of an adhesive tape cutting device for an adhesive tape roll according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in a state of use

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment in a state of use; and

FIG. 8 has four parts, (a)˜(d), similar to FIG. 5 for cooperatively illustrating a cutting operation of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the preferred embodiment of an adhesive tape cutting device according to the present invention is adapted for use with an adhesive tape roll 5. The adhesive tape roll 5 has an adhesive tape 53 that can be unrolled. The adhesive tape cutting device is adapted to be mounted removably and movably on the adhesive tape roll 5, and includes a sleeve body 6 and a cutting member 7.

The sleeve body 6 is made from a plastic material, and is formed by injection molding techniques. The sleeve body 6 is adapted to be sleeved on the adhesive tape roll 5, and defines a channel 60 for extension of the adhesive tape roll 5 therethrough. The sleeve body 6 has a top wall 61 having a tape slot 616 in spatial communication with the channel 60 for extension of an unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 of the adhesive tape roll 5 therethrough. In this embodiment, the sleeve body 6 further has two opposite side walls 611 extending downwardly from two opposite sides of the top wall 61, and two opposite bottom walls 612 extending respectively from bottom ends of the side walls 611 toward each other for anchoring on an inner wall of the adhesive tape roll 5.

In this embodiment, the tape slot 616 is defined by a slot-defining wall having opposite front and rear edges 600, 601. The top wall 61 further has front and rear end portions 613, 614 and a protruded portion 617 disposed between the front end portion 613 of the top wall 61 and the front edge 600 of the slot-defining wall. The protruded portion 617 protrudes outwardly with respect to the channel 60. The rear end portion 614 and the protruded portion 617 are separated by the tape slot 616. In this embodiment, the rear end portion 614 defines a tape slit 615 extending therethrough to divide the rear end portion 614 into two halves. The tape slit 615 is in spatial communication with the tape slot 616 for extension of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 of the adhesive tape roll 5 therethrough and into and through the tape slot 616.

The protruded portion 617 extends outwardly and radially through a tangent line 50, which is adapted to be tangential relative to a center of the adhesive tape roll 5 and which passes through the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall, from one side of the tangent line 50 to the other side of the tangent line 50 that is distal from the adhesive tape roll 5 compared to said one side of the tangent line 50. The protruded portion 617 has a top end 620 and a planar abutting surface 610 extending rearwardly from the top end 620 toward the front edge 600 of the slot-defining wall. The planar abutting surface 610 is disposed on the other side of the tangent line 50, is inclined away from the adhesive tape roll 5 in a forward direction, and has opposite front and rear ends 618, 619. The rear end 619 of the planar abutting surface 610 is disposed on one side of a first reference line 691 connecting the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall and the front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610. Said one side of the first reference line 691 is distal from the adhesive tape roll 5 compared to the other side of the first reference line 691. The front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610 is disposed on one side of a second reference line 692 connecting the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall and a tip 71 of the cutting member 7. Said one side of the second reference line 692 is distal from the adhesive tape roll 5 compared to the other side of the second reference line 692. In this embodiment, the planar abutting surface 610 is a rectangular substantially flat surface with a substantially uniform width (W) (see FIG. 6) that is not smaller than a width of the adhesive tape 53. The first reference line 691 and the tangent line 50 cooperate to define an angle (θ) therebetween that ranges from 25 to 75 degrees. In addition, the protruded portion 617 further has an upright surface 605 that extends from the rear end 619 of the planar abutting surface 610 toward the front edge 600 of the slot-defining wall.

The cutting member 7 is mounted on the front end portion 613 of the top wall 61 of the sleeve body 6. In this embodiment, the cutting member 7 is made integrally from a metal material.

In use, with further reference to FIG. 6, the adhesive tape cutting device is first sleeved on the adhesive tape roll 5. Next, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 of the adhesive tape roll 5 is folded and twisted into a narrow strip as shown by imaginary lines in FIG. 6, so as to facilitate passage of the unrolled end portion 531 through the tape slit 615 as shown by solid lines in FIG. 6 and into the tape slot 616. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the unrolled end portion 531 is pulled forwardly such that the unrolled end portion 531 is extended from the tape slot 616, abuts against the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall, is attached to and covers substantially the planar abutting surface 610 of the protruded portion 617 of the top wall 61, abuts against the top end 620 of the protruded portion 617, and is further extended to rest on the tip 71 of the cutting member 7. The unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 that extends beyond the cutting member 7 may be cut off by the cutting member 7 with a downward force while the remaining parts of the adhesive tape 53 are available for future use.

To use the adhesive tape 53, a user grabs the segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 between the protruded portion 617 and the cutting member 7, and pulls this segment upwardly as shown by arrow (S) in FIG. 8( a) so as to remove the segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 that covers substantially the planar abutting surface 610 of the protruded portion 617 of the top wall 61 from contact with the planar abutting surface 610. At this time, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 is forced to bend and form an angle at the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall that is not smaller than angle (θ), which is defined by the tangent line 50 and the first reference line 691. Subsequently, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 is pulled out from the tape slot 616, while the adhesive tape cutting device is brought to move rearwardly relative to the adhesive tape roll 5. When a desired length of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 has been pulled out, the unrolled end portion 531 is pulled in the direction shown by arrow (T) in FIG. 8( b) so as to bring a segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 into contact with the planar abutting surface 610, and sequentially in a downward direction so as to allow a distal part 532 of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 to contact the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 as shown in FIG. 8( c) in order to facilitate cutting of a segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 extending beyond the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 (i.e., the distal part 532 of the unrolled end portion 531) as shown in FIG. 8( d).

A “multi-bending structure” is provided by the adhesive tape cutting device of the present invention from the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall, to the rear end 619 of the planar abutting surface 610, to the front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610, and then to the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 to facilitate effective tape cutting and convenient use of the adhesive tape cutting device as will be clearly described below. As shown in FIG. 8( b) and FIG. 8( c), a locking effect for the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 is achieved at the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall, while the pulling force in the direction shown by arrow (T) acts on the planar abutting surface 610 such that the sleeve body 6 of the adhesive tape cutting device has a tendency to move slightly in the same direction (shown by arrow (T)). However, the locking effect at the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall counteracts this tendency to move in the direction shown by arrow (T), such that the tension in a segment of the adhesive tape 53 between the front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610 and the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 is enhanced to facilitate easy removal (cutting) of the distal part 532 of the unrolled end portion 531. The aforesaid operation to cut a segment of the adhesive tape 53 consists of continuous actions, and a stronger tension in the segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 between the front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610 and the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 provides a better cutting effect. Moreover, since the planar abutting surface 610 provides a substantial area for stable attachment of the segment of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 between the front and rear ends 618, 619 of the planar abutting surface 610, cutting of the distal part 532 of the unrolled end portion 531 can be accomplished smoothly and easily by the user. In other words, a “multi-bending structure” is provided by the present invention to facilitate effective tape cutting and convenient use of the adhesive tape cutting device.

In summary, the adhesive tape cutting device according to the present invention is adapted to be removably mounted on the adhesive tape roll 5, and is movable relative to the adhesive tape roll 5. Through the design of the tape slit 615, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 of the adhesive tape roll 5 can easily pass through the tape slit 615 into the tape slot 616 to facilitate convenient use. Moreover, during a cutting operation, since the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 is brought into abutment against the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall and the top end 620 of the protruded portion 617 of the top wall 61, and is attached to and covers substantially the planar abutting surface 610 of the protruded portion 617 of the top wall 61, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 may have sufficient tension, and a stable support is provided to the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53. Therefore, cutting of the distal part 532 of the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 is facilitated, and a smooth edge of the cut piece of the adhesive tape 53 is achieved. Moreover, between two cutting operations of the adhesive tape 53, the tension in the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 in a horizontal direction, along which the width (W) of the planar abutting surface 610 is measured, that extends from the rear edge 601 of the slot-defining wall, to the rear end 619 of the planar abutting surface 610, to the front end 618 of the planar abutting surface 610, and to the tip 71 of the cutting member 7 is uniform. As a result, the unrolled end portion 531 of the adhesive tape 53 can be stretched out and maintained flat and even, such that adhesiveness of the unrolled end portion 531 and smooth cutting during a subsequent cutting operation will not be affected. Therefore, the adhesive tape cutting device of the present invention is convenient for assembly to an adhesive tape roll 5, and provides stability to and facilitates smooth cutting of an adhesive tape 53 of the adhesive tape roll 5 during a cutting operation.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. An adhesive tape cutting device comprising: a sleeve body adapted to be sleeved on an adhesive tape roll and defining a channel for extension of the adhesive tape roll therethrough, said sleeve body having a top wall that has a tape slot in spatial communication with said channel for extension of an unrolled end portion of an adhesive tape of the adhesive tape roll therethrough, said tape slot being defined by a slot-defining wall having a rear edge, said top wall having front and rear end portions and a protruded portion disposed between said rear edge of said slot-defining wall and said front end portion of said top wall, said protruded portion protruding outwardly with respect to said channel, said rear end portion and said protruded portion being separated by said tape slot, said protruded portion extending outwardly and radially through a tangent line, which is tangential relative to a center of the adhesive tape roll and which passes through said rear edge of said slot-defining wall, from one side of said tangent line to the other side of said tangent line that is distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to said one side of said tangent line, said protruded portion having a planar abutting surface that is disposed on said other side of said tangent line, that is inclined away from the adhesive tape roll in a forward direction, and that has opposite front and rear ends, said planar abutting surface having a substantially uniform width, said rear end of said planar abutting surface being disposed on one side of a first reference line connecting said rear edge of said slot-defining wall and said front end of said planar abutting surface, said one side of said first reference line being distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to another side of said first reference line, said front end of said planar abutting surface being disposed on one side of a second reference line connecting said rear edge of said slot-defining wall and a tip of said cutting member, said one side of said second reference line being distal from the adhesive tape roll compared to another side of said second reference line; and a cutting member mounted on said front end portion of said top wall of said sleeve body.
 2. The adhesive tape cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear end portion of said top wall defines a tape slit extending therethrough to divide said rear end portion into two halves, said tape slit being in spatial communication with said tape slot for extension of the unrolled end portion of the adhesive tape of the adhesive tape roll therethrough and into and through said tape slot.
 3. The adhesive tape cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first reference line and said tangent line cooperate to define an angle therebetween that ranges from 25 to 75 degrees.
 4. The adhesive tape cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slot-defining wall further has a front edge opposite to said rear edge, said protruded portion of said top wall of said sleeve body further having an upright surface that extends from said rear end of said planar abutting surface toward said front edge of said slot-defining wall.
 5. The adhesive tape cutting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sleeve body further has two opposite side walls extending downwardly and respectively from two opposite sides of said top wall, and two opposite bottom walls extending respectively from bottom ends of said side walls toward each other and adapted to anchor on an inner wall of the adhesive tape roll. 